


Remus Loves Sirius’ Painted Nails

by simplysirius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Feels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, M/M, Marauders era, One Shot, Pining, Remus x Sirius, sirius x remus, wolfstar, wolfstar angst, wolfstar fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:00:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplysirius/pseuds/simplysirius
Summary: When Remus absolutely dies seeing Sirius’ painted nails, he decides to try it out himself, wondering if it will make his best friend fall in love with him, too.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @simplysirius for daily fics and fanart! I also take requests :)

Remus and James could hear giggling from all the way down the hall, slipping through the cracks in the Gryffindor common room door, echoing off the old castle stone. The portraits on the wall clamped their hands over their ears, lips pouted, eyes lolling towards the noise.

“Did someone forget to tell us about a party?” James asked, his eyes sparkling as his strides grew longer and faster.

Remus clasped his book to his chest, grinning. “They wouldn’t dare.”

Mumbling the password to the door, James and Remus fell into the common room, stopping short at the scene as the giggling suddenly stopped.

“Oh hi,” Sirius greeted, smiling so wide the apples of his cheeks touched his eyes. “About time you showed up.”

“We were studying,” Remus said dumbly, his gaze flickering back and forth, from Sirius to Lily, from Marlene to Dorcas, from some of the younger Gryffindor girls back to Sirius, all fawning over his hands.

James propped his knuckles on his hip. “What’s going on?”

Sirius wiggled his fingers, proudly showing off his newly polished nails. The paint was a dark purple, a bleeding violet with a shimmer to it, sparkling beside the warm firelight. Dramatic as ever, Sirius posed with his hands in front of him, on his cheeks, under his chin, the polish a stark contrast to his pale skin.

“You like it?” Sirius asked, a little too aware that James was laughing, but that Remus hadn’t taken another breath.

“Yeah,” Remus said slowly, blinking quickly, as if to try to see the world a little clearer. Sirius was wearing nail polish. Sirius painted his nails. Sirius looked absolutely disgustingly, terribly, attractive with color splashed on his fingers. It made Remus’ stomach twist, suddenly wanting to tug his best friend up the stairs to secretly kiss the pads of his fingers, kiss that toe-curling smirk off his face; Sirius knew he looked good.

James was the first one to step forward, nudging his way through the girls. “There’s no way you did that yourself.”

“He did!” Marlene confirmed, sticking out her own fingers for comparison. Her nails were painted a bright red, rather messily, and the polish was already flaking. “He’s the best one!”

“It’s not fair,” Lily pouted, pointedly shoving her hands in her pockets to hide her shoddy nail job. Behind her, the younger girls giggled, each staring at Sirius with their lips slightly parted, and eyelashes batting. If he noticed, Sirius didn’t say anything, but Remus noticed.

Remus noticed and hated every one of them. The way they laughed too loudly and twirled their hair and inched closer, hoping Sirius would see them. But he wasn’t. Sirius had eyes for only one person in the room.

“It feels a little weird at first,” Sirius admitted, standing from the couch and approaching Remus. “But I think it looks cool. It’s, like, edgy, right? Do I look edgy?”

“You always look edgy,” Remus said without thinking, hoping the tenderness in his voice or the blush creeping across his cheeks wouldn’t give him away. “It looks good.”

Sirius smiled, happy with that. If Remus thought it looked good, then it looked good.

The group dissipated not long after, the girls retreating to their bedroom once their chests were robbed of all hope that Sirius might even glance at him, James and Sirius splitting off to go to bed. Remus was the last one in the common room, insisting that he wanted to study just a little bit longer for an exam he already knew he was going to pass.

When he was finally alone, Remus pretended to read for a few moments, just long enough to hear James’ snores from upstairs, before casting the book aside and surveying the nail polish options the girls – and Sirius – had left on the table.

There were at least a dozen bottles, each shaped a little differently. One was long lasting, another scratch free, and another quick dry. Remus didn’t know which to use. After a long time weighing his options, he finally settled on a bulbous bottle that hadn’t been used yet.

Remus unscrewed the cap and pressed the brush against his first nail, fingers shaking with concentration. His tongue poked out from his lips as he carefully applied the first coat, his untrained hand accidentally painting part of his skin, too. His lines were messy and the paint stung in the scabby nicks around his nails, but Remus made it through the first layer without spilling the bottle on the carpet.

The second layer was easier as he got the hang of things, making less mistakes this time. The smell of the polish was something awful, all alcohol and chemicals, but the paint was cool on his fingers. When he finished, he fanned his fingers in front of the fire for a moment, blowing on the paint.

He went to bed that night hoping no one could smell the pungent odor emanating from his hands; Remus wanted to see Sirius’ reaction in the light when he casually happened to flash his fingers while getting ready for class.

“What happened?” Remus quietly gasped, glancing down at his nails. It was morning now, the sunlight streaming through the curtains and splaying on the ground. Remus sat up in bed, staring at his nails, where strange imprints marred the polish, patchy holes ruining his hard work.

“What’s up?” Sirius asked, tugging a sweater over his head. He padded over, peering at Remus’ hands before they disappeared underneath the covers.

“Nothing,” Remus said quickly, knowing he was already caught.

Sirius excavated Remus’ hands. “Let me see. Did you…?” The rest of the words died on his tongue as he saw Remus’ fingernails, the blue polish scuffed beyond repair. Remus couldn’t help but notice how his skin seared under Sirius’ touch, but not as hot as his cheeks.

“I thought it looked cool,” Remus said. It wasn’t a total lie; the nail polish did look good on Sirius. Remus only used the polish so that Sirius would think it looked good on him, too. “I don’t know what happened.”

“I’ll fix them,” Sirius assured, pulling Remus into the bathroom before he could protest. Sat on the edge of the tub, Remus silently watched Sirius gather his supplies; first a cloth, then some opaque solution and a new bottle of polish.

Sirius gently took Remus’ hand in his, dabbing some of the liquid on the towel and removing the messy polish.

“You didn’t let them dry long enough,” Sirius said with a decisive nod. “That’s why they got all dented.”

“Oh,” Remus choked, a little too dazed to form a coherent sentence with Sirius’ fingers brushing and rubbing and burning against his. Sirius fell quiet then, too, and maybe it was just Remus’ overactive imagination, but he thought Sirius’ hands were lingering longer than necessary on each finger. He told himself that Sirius was just trying to be thorough.

With all the old polish gone, Sirius unscrewed the cap of a new bottle. “All I have is black. I hope that’s okay.”

Remus nodded. Black nail polish for Sirius Black. It was more than okay.

When he finished painting Remus’ nails, Sirius sat back to admire his work, frowning a little. Maybe wishing Remus had more nails to paint. Almost asking to paint his toes, too. “All done.”

“Thanks.” Remus’ heart pounded against his chest, echoing in his ears. When he glanced up, Sirius wasn’t looking at his handiwork anymore; he was looking at Remus. “What?”

“You look good,” Sirius said without thinking. “With nail polish. The nail polish looks good…on you.”

They stared at each other, neither knowing what to say next, only knowing that they weren’t about to move from this spot. Not with their knees pressed together, ankles hooked, arms brushing arms.

Close enough to kiss, Sirius realized with a start.

“All the girls are gonna start flirting with you now.” Sirius meant it as a joke, but his voice was too soft, too sad, and Remus only shook his head.

“I don’t want to flirt with them.”

Sirius couldn’t help the wild hope igniting his eyes. “Why not?”

Remus swallowed, mustering his bravery. “Because they’re not you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While painting his nails, Remus accidentally tells Sirius how much he loves him, and Sirius not-so-accidentally loses his mind and kisses the hell out of his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @simplysirius for daily fics and fan art! I also take requests :)

The nail polish was black on Remus’ nails. The flush was bright crimson on his cheeks. The surprise was lightning white on Sirius’ face.

_I don’t want to flirt with other girls. They aren’t you._

Those are the words Remus said. Judging from the shock paralyzing his body, Remus meant it.

“I mean…you’re just…you,” Remus tried to say, biting his tongue. “If I want anyone…I want you.” There was a piece of hair sticking up from Sirius’ head, a strange little swath that he had missed. They were so close together; Remus could lift his arm just the slightest bit to fix it.

Sirius flinched away from Remus outstretched hand, wishing he hadn’t moved the moment his muscles twitched and panic flashed in Remus’ eyes.

“Your nails,” he said quickly, dropping his gaze to the tiled floor. “You can’t…touch anything until they dry.”

“Oh,” Remus mumbled, pulling his hands back into his lap, carefully splaying his fingers on his thighs. The shiny black polish caught the light, still tacky and heavy on his nails. “Right.”

Sirius pressed his lips together. His nails were dry. He could still touch whatever he wanted. Remus. He wanted to touch Remus.

All too aware of his shaking hands, Sirius’ fingers brushed Remus’ knee, the slightest graze, just to test his reaction.

Remus watched carefully, his breath catching in his lungs and his blood thickening like concrete, not able to move even if he wanted to; he didn’t want to.

Sirius had touched Remus before, countless times. After every full moon, carrying his body from beneath the Whomping Willow, arms slung over his shoulders, Remus’ head weakly nestled in the crook of his neck, sticky blood holding their skin together. After every nightmare-induced panic, slipping underneath the bed sheets and finding a kind of quiet solace listening to the slow rise and fall of Remus’ breathing as it lulled him back to sleep. After every long night studying, their arms linked together, dragging each other up the stairs from the library to their beds, falling together without so much as untying their shoes.

Sirius had touched Remus so many times, in so many ways, but never like this. Never because he wanted to learn the curves of his body, the way his knobby knees stuck out from underneath his trousers and how they met the long lines of his thighs. Sirius’ body was on fire, Remus’ cool skin the only antidote.

His hands ghosted Remus fingers, drawing delicate circles around the knuckles, first, following the outline of his veins, detouring to trace the lines of scars, some long since healed and jagged, others fresh and still ripe with scabs.

Remus stayed silent, only daring to gasp when Sirius’ hand cupped his cheek, thumb swiping across the rosy expanse of skin, fingers settling under the hard cut of his jaw. He could do anything now; force Remus’ gaze away, push him back into the bathtub, pull him closer towards his mouth. Remus swallowed hard at that last thought.

“Your face is awfully red,” Sirius murmured, staring at Remus’ eyes, as if putting him in a trance.

Remus nodded, and with it, Sirius’ hand moved, brushing against long lashes. “It’s your fault.”

Sirius inched forward, just the slightest shift of his hips, but it felt like a mile to Remus. He was so close. Right there. Breath falling against his face. “Why did you paint your nails last night?”

“To impress you.” There was no point in lying. Sirius was so close he would be able to smell deceit, taste the bitterness as the words fell from Remus’ mouth. Held in Sirius’ hand, Remus’ heart lay bare, waiting to be broken or sheltered. “Why did you want to repaint them?”

“They were quite ugly,” Sirius said, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, but then, he thought better of it. “To get you alone.”

“We’re alone,” Remus whispered, his toes curling against the floor, “now what?”

“I don’t know. I never thought I’d ever get this far,” he admitted, shifting again so he was closer still, their noses nearly brushing.

“Can I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

“You could kiss me,” Remus whispered, his words trapped on his tongue as Sirius’ mouth met his, so gently it was almost like a sweet memory, thinly veiled and strung on a wall with tender heartstrings.

Remus had never kissed anyone. He wasn’t sure how to pout his lips or where to keep his tongue or when to breathe, but he knew that his first kiss was with Sirius Black, his best friend, his partner in crime, and now, perhaps, his lover.

If Sirius was nervous, Remus couldn’t tell. His touch was light, but his pulse loud, throbbing in his neck, echoing in the small room. When it was all too clear that Remus wouldn’t break under a delicate touch, Sirius pressed harder, parting their lips and gasping to life. What Sirius wanted, Remus gave easily, giving and giving even when Sirius leaned back, breathless and a little dizzy.

When their eyes met, Remus was still bleary and dazed, a trillion stars glowing around Sirius, a golden halo nestled around the crown of his head, but Sirius gasped again, all the pleasure and ecstasy gone.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to…I didn’t…I wasn’t thinking,” he stuttered, scrambling to his feet. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Before he could rush out of the bathroom, Remus grabbed his wrist, his bones and muscles finally pliant under his skin.

“Why not?” He demanded.

Sirius swallowed, his teeth grinding with his nerves. “Why not what?”

“Why won’t it happen again?”

“It will ruin everything.”

“No,” Remus disagreed, stepping closer. “It won’t ruin anything. You walking out that door, though, that might ruin something.”

Sirius considered this for only a second before nudging away from the door, standing beside Remus with his lip caught between his teeth.

“If I asked you to kiss me again, would you?” Remus asked, letting his hands settle on Sirius’ hips, bravely feeling the taut muscles and strong bone. When Sirius could only nod, Remus’ fingers slipped between belt loops, pulling their bodies flush together. “Please.”

Remus didn’t have to ask twice. Sirius’ lips found his, still warm and swollen from their last meeting, and his hands splayed on the back of Remus’ head, lost in his curls. Drunk on the way their breath melted and clashed together in their mouths, Remus found an easy rhythm, one that kept both Sirius satisfied and enough blood flowing through his body to keep him from fainting. When he pressed a hand against Sirius’ chest, Remus smiled, feeling his erratic pulse under his palm.

At the feeling of cold hands on his neck, Sirius broke their kiss, glancing down at Remus’ fingers. “Your nails are messed up again.”

The black paint was peeled back, dented from Sirius’ pants and the way Remus’ hands explored his body with reckless abandon. There was no touching up or slight fixes that could remedy the mangled masterpiece.

“I don’t care,” Remus shrugged, knotting his fingers in Sirius hair and pulling him closer by the nape of his neck. “You’ll just have to paint them again.”

“You’ll have to pay me this time,” Sirius smiled, “an artist doesn’t work for free.”

“One kiss for every nail,” Remus nodded.

“Two.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Sirius Black.”


End file.
